Integrating accelerometer



N V- 7, 1953 c. N. HICKMAN INTEGRATING ACCELEROMETER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 25, 1952 I IN VENTOR C, N. HICKMAN Wm 5:: S 8 fi m H mm W W 7 H. G a 4 w I a Q u I w w .w. u W w 5 w 5 M +||5 k .h L. M 6 2 2 4 u m u 4 4 1 M N a m 2 ATTORNEY NOV. 17, 1953 c, N, HICKMAN 2,659,589

INTEGRATING ACCELEROMETER Filed Sept; 23, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 POSITION RECORDER 70 I 2 INTEGRATING VELOCITY CIRCUIT ACCELERATION INVENTOR. C. N. HICKMAN ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT"OFFICET INTEGRATING ACCELEROMETER nc iN H km n; b ue que; Mi i fisigner; bymesne" assignments,- 10- the United States-t America as represented'by the-United States Atomic Energy Commission Application September 23, issanserial o; 311,105.

9 Claims;

This invention relates to an improved inte grating "accelerometer,"especially useful in re'-" cording'the variations in velocity of "any'mov ing body; for examp le'flan'object'rising from'the earths suriace'and returning thereto.

It is therefore a generalobjectpftheinvemtion to provide means for'measuring the velocity of'a moving body'subjecte'd to accelerationm the" course of its 'rnotion.

The device to be" dficribed may be' arranged to furnish either-a continuous'record" of velocity or'an ndicati'onof the attainment of a specified velocityyandthe provision of sucha device is another object of the invention;

The invention malg'esmse' of a gasof which the rate of now under" a differential pressure is responsive to acceleration." Sincethe viscosity of a gas of constant density is substantiallyindependentoi temperature; a. change in temperature results in a change in new rate negligible as icomparedwith a like-change when a liquid is used for asimi'lar purpose.

Another object or the invention istherefore toprovide a 'pneurnaticintegrating accelerometer of which"theindicationsflare(substantially f ected by fa neeimtemne atu e- A feature of the-invention is the complete isolation of the'workinjg gas" f romthe outside" atmosphere." This perinitsop'eration ofthe' accelerometer unaffectedby outside influences, short of its actual destruction? Inasmuch as the invention-includes meansior integrating with time" the" acceleration experienced bythe-instrument"and for deriving'ia voltage proportional to that integral, lmown electrical integrating means are applicab-leto integrate with timethe-derived' voltage. That is, provided theinitialyelocity of'th'e bodycarrye ing' the accelerometeris known, the derived'voltage is at anyinstant' an indicationofthe ve'- locity' of the body; -and the bodys position "at that instant" is indicated by the magnitude'of the integrated voltage; It may obviously be "arranged'that when either th'ederived or the integrated voltage reaches a predetermined naga nitude a circuitshall be completed for theperformanceiof anydesired operation." For exam-' ple, it may bereguired to' 'efiecta change'in the behavior of the carrying body'i'when it has traveled to a predetermined velocity or a prev;

determined distance from 'th'el.starting' p'oint. This requirement may-be met without regard to outside interference, again'short 'of actual destruction of the carryingbody.

Therefore, another o'bject of the invention is or e a nte at n "accel m t icon; joined with means' ior' indicating at any instant thevelocity'and the position of the vehicle carrying the accelerometer.-

'ijheinvention itself will be understood from the'follo'wing description of illustrative embodiments thereof; read with reference to the accoinpanying drawin s, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal sectionoftheacrcelerometer and its housing, arranged to'respond' toan axial acceleration in one'sense only, namely, in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. .2 shows in like section an accelerometer capable of continuously indicating-axial accelerations ineit'her sense."

Referring to 'Fig1i1l, numeral i designates a casing which may 'convenient lybe rectangular laflaflixed to Lthebaseof "housing and to mem-' ber'"2 "respectively; In" compartment 4 "are mounted, axially atright anglesqto' fsylphons 6 and fl, two like sylphons""l2and 13; joined by a light'fbafile 4;* sylphons l2 an J3are sealedfat their' ends remote from baffle M to" k 25 an 6; res c y, afiixed to opposite sidesiof casing I.

u'v'e isylpjhons an Pen s of c g J i cluding closure 2.

The interior ofsylphon i6 is permanently incommunication with: that of f'sylphon. l3 throng-has, tubegli, in whitha constriction. i8:

is provided at anyconvenient point along its length. Likewise,-- sylphon 6 normally com municates with fsylphonsifv fl and 12' through. tube giliand branc'h tube 20-2 Valve 22:.in. tube. 2 0 is normally iopeny but is inertially operated by :weight 23 to close whennthe' accelerometer undergoes eanuacceleration. In the #figure, valve 22 r is ::shown" :lopen, the instrumerrt being considered not yet responding to an acceleration inlthe direction-{of the arrows 5. Closure of 1, but =leavesthe l'atter in' communication with.

a C nSi ict o ,2! s prov ded-eta point in tube" 20 intermediate its opening "into It..is to be understood that allfblocksJareiastened gas-tight to'the re spec-.

sylphon" I2 and its junction with branch tube The ofilce of constrictions I8 and 2| is obviously to regulate the time rate of flow of gas. This flow will, of course, depend on the rarefaction or compression of the gas in the force measuring sylphons 6 and I, which force is a measure of the acceleration.

In the case of an acceleration in the direction of arrows 5, baflie 8 moves (relatively to casing I) to increase the pressure in sylphon 6 and decrease that in sylphon I, while valve 22 closes. Until this motion of baffle 8 and valve 22, the pressure was the same in all four sylphons. Now, however, gas from sylphon 6 flows into sylphon I3 and gas from sylphon I2 flows into sylphon I. As a result, baffie I4 moves (to the left in the figure) at a rate proportional to the acceleration of casing I and through a disstance proportional to the time integral of that acceleration. Insulated from but carried by baflle I4, electrical contact 24 is moved to a position distant from its initial location by an amount proportional to the velocity of casing I and so of the carrying body (not shown) in which casing I is mounted. Latch 26, initially held by a light spring 21 in engagement with baflie I4 in a central position thereof, moves downward under acceleration in the direction of the arrows and thereby frees baffle I4 to move as required.

In member 2 a vent I9 is provided, enabling equalization of pressures in compartments 3 and 4.

Mating with contact 24 at any desired position of baffle I4, is an adjustable contact 25. Connections to these contacts lead externally of casing I to a utilization circuit 28 of any desired character. Closing of contacts 24 and 25 is thereby effective to bringabout operation of circuit 28 when a predetermined velocity has been acquired by the body carrying the accelerometer.

Sylphons 6, I, I2 and I3 are of extremely low stiffness, so that the movements of baflies 8 and I4 are not restricted, except as baffie 8 is restricted to downward displacement by post 30 in sylphon I. Motion of baffle I4 is thus responsive only to velocities acquired in the direction of the arrows.

If this direction is vertically upward in space,

as is the case of a rocket launched straight up,

the effect of gravity can be discounted by including in sylphon 6 a light spring 3| adjusted in stiffness to offset the force of gravity acting on bafiie 8. The provision of this spring is desirable in such a measurement for the reason that gravity is acting on casing I at the same time as on bafile 8. Where the acceleration to be measured is horizontal, spring 3| is omitted. Where the line of acceleration is inclined to the vertical, spring 3| is correspondingly reduced in stiffness.

It will be noted that the flow of gas into one and out of the other of sylphons I2 and I3 drives bafiie I4 to equalize the pressures on its two faces. Therefore, when the acceleration is over, there is no force acting on bafile I4 and its position remains that to which it was driven during acceleration. The excursion of baffle I4 from its initial rest position is determined by the pressure differential established in sylphons 6 and I and by the rate of flow of gas through constrictions I8 and 2|; this rate determines the time required for baifle I4 to reach its final position.

Calibration of the accelerometer is made by affixing to baflle 8 a known weight and measuring the time required for baffle I4 to complete its excursion. Since the rate of flow is substantially proportional to the force on baflie 8, a single such experiment is ordinarily suflicient. In this way it may be determined the velocity corresponding to any final position attained by baffle 8. Since the working gas is isolated from the outside atmosphere, it may be other than air.

The form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1 is particularly useful when it is desired to bring about the operation of a utilization circuit, of chosen character, on' the attainment of a preselected velocity of the carrying body.

In Fig. 1, the upper extension of compartment 4 includes a shaft 32 journaled in casing- I at 33 and 34. Adjacent these positions, holes 36 and 31 are provided in casing I. To preserve the structures previously described from communication with the outside atmosphere, a third pair of sylphons 39 and 4B are introduced, meeting in a junction member 4| (of any suitable rigid material) which is threaded on shaft 32 as shown. Sylphons 39 and 40 are sealed at their outer ends to casing I by rings 42, 43 which encompass at each end shaft 32 and the adoacent holes 36 and 31. These sylphons may be of any convenient stiffness, enough to prevent rotation of member 4| except as demanded either by manual control knob 45 or by gears 48, 4'! controlled by selsyn motor 48. Because of holes 36, 31 at each side of casing I, the interiors of sylphons 39 and 40 are both at atmospheric pressure; the position of member 4| thus depends only on the rotation given shaft 32. Member 4| may also be provided with a flange 35 through which passes bolt 35.

Member 4| carries, outside the attached sylphons, a contact 25. In addition to knob 45, remote control is provided by selsyn transmitter 52, enabling shaft 32 to be driven from a distant point.

Scales 50, 5| are provided on knob 45 and for selsyn 52, respectively, to indicate the setting of contact 25 relative to contact 24, and these scales are graduated in velocity. Contact 25 may thus be set to be met by contact 24 when any preselected velocity is attained by the carrying body. When this meetin takes place, utilization circuit 28 is energized and functions to bring about the desired result.

Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of the invention adapted to the continuous measurement of acceleration, velocity and position of the vehicle carrying the accelerometer. Elements common to Figs. 1 and 2 are designated by like numerals.

Arrows 5 again indicate acceleration in a particular sense along the axis of the instrument. This sense is chosen for illustration only to facilitate the description of the operation. Under an acceleration in the sense indicated, baflle 8 moves downward relatively to casing I while valve 22 is closed by weight 23, also moving downward. The flow of gas from sylphon 6 to sylphon I3, and from sylphon I2 to sylphon I, takes place as described in connection with Fig. l. Bafile I4 moves to the left, as before. Inertially operated latches, not shown, may be supplied to fix the initial positions of bafiies 8 and I4, for the same purpose as latch 26in Fig. 1.

Baffles 8 and I4 are each grounded, to casing I at and to member 2 at 55, respectively. Each baflle either is made of conducting material or provides a conducting path from the grounded point to its opposite extremity, where brushes 58 on baiiie 8, 59 on bafilefM, sweep over potentiometei'sl fil "an'd 62f Potentiometers B'I and1'62 are'uinear and are'respectively inparallel with resistors 63"and- 6'4; 1 The Wheatstone" bridges composed of elementst I63 andGZ -Mare suppliedi'fro'm battery 65: Between ground and the midpoint of resistor '63'is connected voltmeter 67. Similarly,...betwecn ground and the midpoint of resistors'fid, is 'connect'ed'voltmeter 68.

Theldeparture of brush .58 =from the midpoint of potentiometer 6i a measure of the acceleration, read -on'woltmeterEl; whilethe excursion of bafile' M in either direction from its undisturb'edliposition is a measureof the velocity atained"'=at-any moment, and the accompanying excursion oibrush 59 from the midpoint-of potentiometerfitmeasures that velocity; which is read on voltmeter 6B. In addition, the voltage applied across voltmeter 68 may be supplied to an integrating circuit 59, of which the output voltage represents the travel of the body carrying the accelerometer from an initial position. This output voltage may be recorded by any known recording mechanism iii.

Brushes 58 and 59 may be adjusted on their respective potentiometers so that in the initial position neither of voltmeters 6"! or 68 reads other than zero. voltmeter til, with zero at the center of its scale, may thus read a positive or negative acceleration according to the direction in which bafiie 8 moves from its position of rest. At the same time the reading of voltmeter 68 is representative or" the velocity attained as a summation of the positive and negative accelerations which may have been experienced by the vehicle carrying the accelerometer.

I claim:

1. A pneumatic integrating accelerometer comprising: a rigid casing divided into two compartments by an apertured rigid member normal to the axis of the casing, said casing being provided with rigid base and top closures on opposite sides of and parallel to the apertured member; a first pair of gas-filled bellows parallel to the axis of the casing, united at their adjacent ends by a heavy baflle and hermetically sealed at their remote ends to the base and to the apertured member respectively; a second pair of gas-filled bellows normal to the axis of the casing, united at their adjacent ends by a light bafile and hermetically sealed at their remote ends to opposite sides of the casing; a first port including an inertially operated shutoff valve connecting the bellows of the first pair; a second and a third port respectively connecting one bellows of the first pair with one bellows of the second pair and connecting the other bellows of the first pair with the other bellows of the second pair; and means for indicating movement of the light baffle responsively to movement of the heavy baffle.

2. A pneumatic integrating accelerometer as in claim 1, including a first electrical contact carried by the light baffle, a second electrical contact adjustable to be met by the first contact at a desired position of the light baffle and a utilization circuit adapted to be completed by the meeting of said contacts.

3. A pneumatic integrating accelerometer as in claim 2, including ,means for preventing motion of the heavy baffie in a chosen sense.

4. A pneumatic integrating accelerometer as in claim 3, including a spring of prescribed stiffness opposing motion of the heavy bafiie oppositely to the chosen sense.

5. A pneumatic integrating accelerometer comprisinga rigid casing divided intoa first and a second compartmentby an aperturedrigid mem ber normal to the axis of the casing; a first pair of gas-filled bellows mounted gas-tight"in the first compartment in series with a heavy baiile, a second pair of gas-filled bellows mounted gastight in the second compartment in series with a light baffle, the axes of said first and second pairs being respectively parallel and normal to the axis of the casing, a first port including an inertially operated shutofi valve connecting the bellows of the first pair, a second and a third port respectively connecting one bellows of the first with one bellows of the second'pair and connect-: ing the other bellows of the first with the other bellows of the second ,pair, a third pair of bellows mounted in the second compartment parallel to the second pair of bellows, a movable member joining adjacent ends of the bellows of the third pair, annular sealing means securing to the casing at each side thereof the ends of the bellows or the third pair remote from the movable member, said remote ends being open to the atmosphere through apertures in the casing within the sealing means, a rotatable shaft journaled in the casing within the sealing means at each side and threadedly engaging the movable member whereby said member is adjustably positioned lengthwise oi the shaft, means for indicating the rotation of the shaft, a first electrical contact carried bp the light baffle, a second electrical contact carried by the movable member and adjustable to meet the first contact at a desired position thereof and a utilization circuit adapted to be completed by the meeting of said contacts.

6. Means for continuously indicating the motion of a vehicle subjected to acceleration comprising a pneumatic integrating accelerometer including a rigid casing divided into a first and a second compartment by an apertured rigid member normal to the axis of the casing, a first pair of gas-filled bellows mounted gas-tight in the first compartment in series with a heavy bafiie, a second pair of gas-filled bellows mounted gas-tight in the second compartment in series with a light baflie, the axes of said first and second pairs being respectively parallel and normal to the axis of the casing, a first port including an inertially operated shutoff valve connecting the bellows or" the first pair, a second and a third port respectively connecting one bellows of the first with one bellows of the second pair and the other bellows of the first with the other bellows of the second pair, a Wheatstone bridge adapted to be unbalanced by the departure of the heavy baiile from a rest position, power supply for said bridge and electrical indicating means responsive to the unbalance of said bridge.

7. Means as in claim 6 for continuously indicating the motion of a vehicle subjected to acceleration including a second Wheatstone bridge adapted to be unbalanced by departure from rest position of the li ht baflle, power supply for the second bridge and a second electrical indicating means responsive to the unbalance of the second bridge.

8. Means as in claim 7 for continuously indicating the motion of a vehicle subjected to acceleration including means for deriving a first voltage representing the unbalance of the first bridge and indicating the magnitude and polarity thereof, means for deriving a second voltage representing the unbalance of the second bridge and indicating the magnitude and polarity thereof, an electrical integrating circuit for deriving a third voltage representing the time integral of the second voltage and means for continuously recording the magnitude of the third voltage.

9. An integrating accelerometer comprising a casing, a first pair of bellows in said casing, an imperforate wall member common to each of said bellows and dividing one from the other, means closing end portions of the bellows spaced from said wall member, a second pair of bellows angularly disposed to said first pair of bellows, an imperiorate wall member common to each of said second pair of bellows and dividing one from the other, means closing end portions of the second bellows spaced from the imperforate wall member thereof, a conduit interconnecting the bellows of said first pair and including an in- 8 l ertially operated shutoff valve, additional conduits connecting one bellows of the first pair with one bellows of the second pair and connecting the other bellows of the first pair with the other bellows of the second pair, and means operatively connected with at least one of said wall members for indicating movement thereof.

CLARENCE N. HICKMAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,317,028 Chappell Apr. 20, 1943 2,440,605 Hathaway Apr. 27, 1948 2,504,644 Burmist Apr. 18, 1950 2,557,173 Burmist June 19, 1951 

